6 Home Maintenance Tips for Bathrooms and Plumbing
Dec 28, 2018
One of the most difficult aspects of raising children and owning a home is keeping things clean. Even as grown adults, keeping the bathroom, kitchen, and even our own rooms clean is a hard task at times. With that being said, I’m sure we can all agree that one of the hardest areas to clean, and keep clean, is the bathroom. Here are some tips on bathroom and plumbing maintenance and how to keep it clean:
1. Use it, Wipe it
Teach yourself and children the ‘Use it and then wipe it’ rule. This can apply to anything in the bathroom; toilets, sinks, even the shower. Keep a few sponges near everything in the bathroom and make it a habit for yourself and your children to wipe it after every use. This keeps the bathroom cleaner and looking nicer for much longer.
2. Gather the Hair
For girls, it is the hair from your head that gets all over the bathroom – strands come off in the shower, and it can spread while brushing. For guys, the hair seems to get all over the sink while shaving. The same rule, ‘Use it and then wipe it’ applies here; but instead of wiping the long hair with a sponge, you can use a bit of toilet paper to gather up the hair and throw it away. This will also help when you need to clean out the plumbing in the sink and shower later on.
3. Keep Your Faucets Functioning
- Repair leaky faucets quickly
- Clean the aerators
4. Bathroom Clogs
Bathroom clogs are no fun, so here are some tips on how to avoid it:
- Run hot water down the drain for a few minutes about once a week.
- Use strainers that catch hair, small toys, and soap chips and clean them out regularly.
- Don’t flush or purposefully put things down the drain that do not belong there.
When you do get a clog in one of your bathroom’s drains, call in a professional for or help.
5. Nothing on the Counter
It might be easier to keep things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair brushes, and other hair products on the bathroom counter. But after one use, the counter usually looks like a disaster area. Here is a simple rule that will fix the counter situation – utilize the medicine cabinet, closet, and under sink storage area. Sure, you will need to train yourself to resist the urge to lay everything out on the counter when you’re in a rush; but once you’ve mastered an organizational setup up that works for you and your bathroom, you’ll thank yourself for the clean counter space!
6. Basic Bathroom Maintenance
- Shower and Bathtub – Caulk when you notice an area that is worn, missing, or shows holes. If you do not see any problems then you can stick to caulking about once a year. You want to make sure that caulk is nice and sturdy so water is not creeping in behind the walls or tile.
- Bathroom Sink – Take out the drain stopper as often as you can and give it a thorough cleaning. Bush it off, bathe it in vinegar, and then chuck it in the dishwasher – it’s as simple as that! This method should get rid of any mold and muck that can accumulate inside short of a good deep cleaning session. Also, be sure to scrub your sink no less than once per month; once per week is ideal!
- Shower Curtains – Black mold, crust, or white film on your shower curtain is a sure sign that cleaning is required. Take the curtain down and scrub it with a good cleaner and then allow it to air dry before you put it back in the bathroom.
- Bathroom Floor – Bathroom mats need to be cleaned at least once a month; and the bathroom floors are a high traffic area, much like the kitchen, and should be cleaned regularly – at least once a week!
Keeping your bathroom clean might not sound too fun, but the results are well worth it and could help to keep you from costly maintenance issues later on. Contact us with any questions and/or service needs that you may have! We’re happy to help.
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